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Artists: John Whytock of Big Bear, CA, and Terry Waite of Twentynine Palms, CA |
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In January 1998, artist John Whytock (creator of Mural #7, The Dirty Sock Camp, in 1996) returned to Twentynine Palms to paint Mural #12, Desert Gold Mining Days, in collaboration with artist Terry Waite who was the art director and sculptor for the work. Their resulting creation became the first three-dimensional mural in the Twentynine Palms Oasis of Murals series. The art/comedy team of Waite & Whytock entertained locals and visitors alike with their humorous antics while creating this mural, and their well-matched artistic spirits amazed onlookers as they spontaneously merged the three-dimensional aspects with the painting and ingeniously incorporated genuine gold mining artifacts into the mural, all done with a sense of whimsy. Even at the dedication on February 21, 1998, John broke out his guitar and they sang a parody of a gold-miner song that Terry had written on the back of a napkin, just for the occasion, to the delight of a laughing and appreciative audience. The two remained close friends until Waite's untimely death in July of 2000. John Whytock, an established commercial artist, is also Las Vegas' premier mural artist. His work is prominently featured in many prestigious locations, including The Luxor, The Excalibur, The Monte Carlo, The Mandalay Bay, and The Venetian. His most recent commission, completed in August 2000, is an 8' x 90' mural at the registration desk in the new Aladdin Resort and Casino. Whytock lives in the Sugarloaf area of Big Bear, CA, with his wife of 28 years, Mary. It takes one and a half hours to get to Twentynine Palms, but he makes the drive frequently in order to spend time in one of his favorite spots on the planet. Terry Waite moved his family to Twentynine Palms in 1990 and began a retirement career as a local metal artist. His first public sculptures were two giant steel flowers installed in 1991 at Copper Mountain College, Joshua Tree. Since that time, Waite's art continued to make a permanent imprint on the desert community, and his metal art began appearing on commercial buildings in downtown Twentynine Palms and private homes throughout the Morongo Basin. His recent works included art installations for the Mojave National Preserve, the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District, and the Victor Valley Materials Recovery Facility. Terry died July 19, 2000, at the age of 60. He left more than a legacy of art--he was part of the Spirit of Twentynine Palms, and will long be remembered. |
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Any software, images, webpages, text, and other materials that are made available to use, view, or download from the http://www.oasisofmurals.com are the copyrighted work of Michael Collins or Vickie Waite or are public domain as noted and cannot be used without express permission of either Michael Collins or Vickie Waite.. |
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